Knut For Your Thoughts?
Kate loved Hogwarts.
She’d been concerned, at first, when Ms. Hoida had come to her house to introduce magic to her parents. They’d known there was something up with her (they used the term ‘wrong with her,’ actually, but that was understandable. It was unnatural, after all), but still, having an actual honest-to-God witch come to their doorstep certainly… shook them, a little.
And then learning that Kate had pagan magic in her…
Well, needless to say, they weren’t exactly ecstatic about it.
But - despite Ms. Hoida’s kindness about the thing, and the appearance of a choice… it was pretty clear that Hogwarts didn’t put much stake in what muggles had to say about her attending.
Kate knew about racism, of course. She knew it existed, and she knew it was awful. But she’d never actually been forced to interact with any racists.
...Well. That was arguable. She’d never been forced to interact with anyone who proudly claimed that their race was superior, anyway. Maybe people who were a little more subtle about it - who made tiny, quiet jabs, all the while making sure the person they were talking to knew they definitely weren’t racist, no way in hell.
But the magical world wasn’t that type of racist. The magical world didn’t view racism as a bad thing.
They were loud and proud about their racism.
It honestly baffled Kate. It didn’t make any sense at all. Honestly, it seemed like the vast majority of wizards and witches had never even had a single interaction with a muggle - and they made truly bizarre statements and assumptions about muggles and their culture.
On one level, Kate tried to sympathize. She liked seeing both sides of every argument.
So, okay. She understood how they could be scared of muggles. They’d had witch burnings in the past, after all. Muggles had prosecuted them first.
But still - muggles were a lot more tolerant now! And, even if she could understand being afraid of - and thus, biased against - muggles,
She couldn’t understand hating muggleborn wizards and witches for the same reason.
Brooke had given her a book, once. Just - out of the blue. It was about something called ‘scientific racism,’ and how it worked.
After Kate had finished it, Brooke had said - with a tone much older than a (at the time) thirteen-year-old’s voice had any right to be,
“That’s what the wizarding world does. Has always done. They claim that muggleborns are inferior, using ‘science’ - and because science is oftentimes practically a religion, people just believe it. They believe that the ‘experts’ know what they’re saying, and what they’re doing. It’s why you have to question everything, Kate. Question everything, question always. No matter how many people say it’s true - if you don’t have iron-clad evidence for it for yourself, don’t try to make any kind of decision. Because that decision won’t be informed.”
Brooke had then explained that this philosophy was why she was the only pureblood witch who had muggleborn friends in the whole school. Some of them had half-blood friends, or had muggleborns who were associated with less pureblooded friends of theirs - this was the group she claimed Rachel fell into, with her being friends with the half-blooded Chloe and thus Kate by association - but none of them had direct muggleborn friends.
None of them but her.
Brooke was amazing.
Oh, but she was thinking about Hogwarts, not Brooke.
Hogwarts was amazing. She might not love everyone there; the potions teacher was kind of mean, as was the principal, and they never kept a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher for more than a year - and a lot of people just kind of ignored her, when they weren’t giving her little glances that Kate tried to convince herself she was just imagining…
What was she thinking about?
Right. Hogwarts, and how amazing it was.
Well, whether the people there liked her or not, Hogwarts was amazing. The staircases moved, the Great Hall was gorgeous, she got to hang out with Brooke and Max and Chloe and Rachel. Even just the carriage ride filled her with warm, fuzzy feelings.
Well. Usually it did, anyway.
Her eyes drifted to Brooke again as they walked through the front gates, just outside the castle.
Brooke caught her staring.
“Yes?”
“Nothing!” she said, whipping her head around so fast she was surprised her neck didn’t crack. She saw Brooke raise her eyebrows in her peripherals.
“...Okay then.”
The castle loomed over them.
Despite the malice implied in that thought, Kate couldn’t bring herself to be afraid of Hogwarts. Not this beauty of a castle.
Hogwarts was her home away from home - and Kate loved her no matter what.
Suddenly - a hand was stuck in her face.
A hand with a copper coin in it.
Wait - no, scratch that. It was a bronze coin. A knut, to be specific - the magical equivalent of a quarter, practically.
Kate glanced towards the source of the hand - and found Brooke staring right at her.
Brooke tilted her hand, so the knut was resting in the center of her palm - and held it out to her like an offering.
“Knut for your thoughts?”
Kate smiled at her. “Just how lucky I am to be a witch.”
Brooke nodded. “Yes, you are. Magic is quite amazing.”
“Yeah.”
There was a pause. Kate wondered where Max was - she would’ve broken the awkward moment by now, if she were here.
“...I’m sorry,” Brooke said, suddenly.
Kate blinked. “What?”
“Sorry. For my little show, in the carriage. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Well, ‘little show’ is one word for it, I guess.
“It’s okay,” Kate murmured, scratching her neck. “...Are you okay, Brooke?”
Brooke blinked.
“Of course I am.”
“You sure? Because if you need my help, or - or anything at all, I can do my best to do whatever for you?”
For a moment - something dark and glittering flared in Brooke’s eyes.
And then it vanished.
“I’m fine, thanks,” she said, turning forward again. “Let’s go watch this Sorting and get some food. I’m famished.”
She started walking off before Kate could respond.
Kate nervously tugged at the edge of her sleeves.
She saw Max walk up next to her in her peripherals.
“...You don’t know what’s up with Brooke, do you?” she asked, glancing at Max as she did.
Max just shrugged.
“...I just… wish I could help her. That she would let me help her.”
Max didn’t respond for a long, long moment - before finally saying, “maybe she just needs some time to figure some stuff out.”
Kate stared out into the distance.
Hogwarts stood before her.
“...It just… sometimes it feels like she doesn’t understand what it means to be friends with someone,” Kate said. “It means you’re open with them. And that they’ll support you, no matter what.”
Max hesitated.
“...Maybe ‘friends’ means something different to her than it does to us.”
Kate let herself stare off - hungry and worried and so very, very tired - for just one more moment.
And then she straightened. “Well - we’ve just got to support her, right? First step to that - sitting together at the Hufflepuff table, and watching this Sorting!”
She grabbed Max’s hand.
“To Brooooke!” she called out dramatically - while Max yelped behind her, and stumbled in her effort to catch up.